Freeze
by Mizuni-no-neko
Summary: While America's in Moscow visiting Russia, a blackout hits the entire city and surrounding area. While this may not be such great news for those sitting at home with no heat, the stars are shining more brightly than Ivan has seen them since electricity became popular in his capitol. He's glad he gets to share this moment with the person he loves most. RusAme, fluff without plot.


Just a little oneshot I decided to crank out for no reason whatsoever. I thought that by exercising my creativity I would possibly come up with ideas for what to do next in my undercover cop AU "A Time to Love."

This has not been the case.

This is unbeta-d, as usual, and I didn't even go over this again after finishing it to make sure I didn't screw up royally. So if I did…eh, whatever. At least I have a workable grasp of the English language, which is more than you can say for half the stuff on .

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The stars over Moscow shone as bright as little Christmas lights, fighting through the pitch black of the sky to show their brilliance. There had been a power outage city-wide and with no artificial light around for miles, the stars were breathtaking. Ivan couldn't remember the last time he'd seen so many over his capitol.

He smiled up at the sky, violet eyes soft and contemplative as his heart swelled in his chest. It truly was a beautiful sight to behold. He knew that it was deep into winter and many people were freezing in their homes and that some may even die if the power wasn't turned back on soon, but he would think about that later when the stars had gone to bed and the fear of missing this beauty was gone.

Alfred, too, was looking up at the sky, remembering how many nights he'd lain awake, staring up at the sky, and wondering if the stars looked the same from where Russia was looking up at them. At the time he hadn't understood that when it was nighttime in his lands, it wasn't in Ivan's. Now, with the world so much smaller and shrinking day by day, it was hard to imagine that when they looked up, they were looking at the same sky. At the same time they were so much more connected, he felt so much more alone.

Not tonight, though. Tonight they were together and the stars they gazed up at were the same, bright and twinkling in the sky like little diamonds. He scooted a little closer, feeling the other man's warmth through the thick layers of sweaters, shirts, and his overcoat. He'd thought, for the longest time, that Ivan was a cold man who radiated ice. Nothing could be farther from the truth, though. Ivan showed his emotions quite a lot more openly than Alfred had ever thought once you got to know him. When he was happy, he would smile. When he was scared, he would jump. When he was sad, he might even cry if he felt comfortable enough. But no matter what he was feeling, he always let off the same heat any other human did.

'Sometimes more.' Alfred thought with a blush, remembering last night and several nights leading up to it, Ivan's body slick with sweat and pressing into his. Whoever said that Ivan wasn't a passionate man had never seen him as Alfred had both in love and in hate.

Ivan turned his head to look down at his companion as the smaller Nation scooted closer to him. He gave a small smile, cheeks turning lightly pink and one arm coming up to wrap around the American's shoulders. He thought the flush on America's own cheeks was due to the cold and it was his duty as a good boyfriend to keep his little koshka warm.

"You must be freezing." He cooed lightly, gathering the smaller man to his side. Alfred blushed more heavily, coughing slightly to clear the back of his throat. It was slightly awkward, being held by Ivan so tenderly while simultaneously thinking of how the older man had clutched him so tightly last night in bed.

Ivan caught the cough, a look of concern clouding his face. Was poor little Amerika getting sick? He brought the back of his hand up to gauge the boy's temperature, confused when he felt only the normal warmth of human skin. "Are you getting sick, lapushka?" He asked softly, face hovering inches above Al's.

The younger nation swallowed thickly, shaking his head. "N-no, that's not it. I'm fine, really, I am." He assured him. "I was just a little cold, is all. You know me! Always at peak physical condition!" He puffed out his chest proudly, trying to assuage Ivan's concerns.

The taller man eyes him suspiciously, sizing him up with a critical gaze. "If you say so, Amerika. But please, allow me to get you some more blankets, da? Is a cold night and you are not used to such low temperatures." He placed a soft kiss to Alfred's golden hair and stood, lovingly wrapping the blanket they had been sharing around Alfred more tightly to make up for the absence of his body heat.

Alfred smiled softly, looking up at his lover with hazy eyes. He couldn't really make out his entire face without his glasses, but he could see enough to know that his own smile was mirrored back at him.

Without his glasses his eyes were bright and his face looked so young, Ivan couldn't help but think of times before the revolution when a younger America had almost been his. Still, he wouldn't take back what they'd been through, not even if they could have been happy for all those years. Who knew what would have happened between them if they hadn't fought for so long? They'd learned more about each other fighting than they'd ever known as friends.

With one last kiss to the younger nation's lips, Russia turned to seek out blankets. He had so many, but none of them ever seemed to stay where he put them. Alfred said he had gremlins, Ivan insisted it was his sister. Nastya, despite having given up on ever marrying him, still snuck into his house to sleep on the couch when she had a fight with her boss.

A few hand-sewn quilts and a crocheted afghan later and Ivan was back by Alfred's side, leaning down for a quick peck on the lips before systematically piling the blankets on his shivering lover. Alfred, who had insisted that he wasn't cold, had found that it wasn't so easy to say that with any real conviction once Ivan had taken his body heat away.

"Vanya, don't you dare leave again!" He pouted, beckoning the older man into the blankets with him. "You want to keep me warm? Well get your ass over here and keep me warm."

Ivan chuckled and shook his head, climbing underneath the blankets and pulling Alfred into his lap. He nuzzled the nape of his neck, inhaling the light scent of his hair deeply. America always smelled warm and slightly of strawberries. He made a mental note to steal his shampoo and replace it with something a little less fruity. The strawberry stuff made his nose itch.

"I will not leave, Amerika. I promise." He whispered softly, his breath moving small strands of his lover's hair. He pressed a kiss there, squeezing the younger man about his middle and smiling softly. Alfred couldn't see it, but he felt the quirk of his boyfriend's mouth on the back of his head.

"What're you smiling about, big guy. I almost froze to death while you were gone." America huffed, pouting quite like a petulant child. The look didn't suit him, per se, but it fit him perfectly. Ivan laughed, knowing very well the look Alfred was probably giving the street in front of them.

"But you did not and now I am here to keep you warm, da?" He chirped, nibbling lightly on the back of his neck, idle affection that he didn't intend to lead anywhere. Alfred shivered slightly, reaching back to slap him away.

"Vanya, stop that! Your spit's gonna freeze and your teeth'll stick to my neck and that'll be awkward to explain to the doctors." He whined. Ivan laughed, squeezing him tight about the middle and nipping the side of his neck.

"You are exaggerating, lyubov. Is not nearly as cold as you are saying it is. Besides," He purred, licking a stripe up the back of his neck, "You are still shivering, I must warm you up some way." He giggled, nipping at the small swatch of exposed skin.

"Will you stop that!" Alfred cried, flailing in Ivan's arms and nearly tossing the blankets off of the two of them. The taller male laughed, merely holding the other more tightly as he struggled.

"Da, da. Of course, I will stop. Do not fret so much, Amerika. I thought you liked it when I bit you." He teased, nuzzling a dark hickey he'd left the night before.

"That's…that's different!" The blonde protested, his face burning crimson and mouth drawn tight into a pout. "You're being inappropriate! This isn't…we're not…" He groaned, burying his bright red face in the blankets.

"You mean we are not having sex, and so biting you is inappropriate?" Ivan teased, chuckling lightly when the younger man squeaked and attempted to reach back and hit him. "But what if that was my intention? To get you on your back?" He cooed, nipping at the back of his neck again.

"It's not and you and I both know that. Now shut up and look at the damn stars." America huffed, finally succeeding in reaching back and knocking Ivan about the head. The Russian chuckled and nuzzled the back of his lover's neck, pressing an apologetic kiss to the spot he'd been nibbling on.

"You are right. It wasn't my intention to have sex. I am much too comfortable where we are right now. Though you must admit, under the stars during a blackout would be as good a time as any." He smiled softly, gently petting Al's stomach through his sweater. No matter how many layers the American put on, he was always cold.

"Yeah, but it's too cold. Maybe during the summer or something." He sighed, leaning back against Ivan and closing his eyes. The stars were beautiful and he'd promised Ivan that he'd stay up and stargaze with him while they had the chance, but he was really tired!

"In the summer there may not be a blackout." Ivan pointed out idly. "But we can always go to the countryside for the night instead of staying in Moscow. Did you know that in St. Petersburg, there are 50 days at the beginning of July when the sun does not fully set? There are no stars then." Alfred nodded, head lolling back against Ivan's shoulder, finally finding a place to rest with his nose buried in his boyfriend's scarf.

"Remember? I was here for that last year. We went to a bunch of clubs and got really drunk. At one point I think you fucked me against a bathroom wall. Do you remember that, or was that a dream. Cause if that was a dream, we really have to make it come true this year." Alfred chuckled drowsily.

"Nyet, that was not a dream. Though if you want a repeat performance, we could always arrange it." Ivan laughed lightly, shifting Alfred gently in his arms to cradle him. He knew the younger nation was tired. He always was during the winter, even at his own home. It probably came from the American's tendency to hibernate during the winter to avoid cold weather. Whenever Ivan managed to get Alfred bundled up and warm during the winter months, he'd inevitably fall asleep.

"You know I love you, right?" Alfred asked, voice muffled by Ivan's scarf and his own fatigue. Ivan nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"Da, I know. And I love you as well. Never forget that." He told him softly, face buried in ruffled blonde hair. They stayed like that for long moments, only the sound of their breath puffing as clouds into the cold night air and the distant twinkling of the stars interrupting the stillness.

"Alfred?" He asked, looking down after a few minutes of no response from his lover. "Alik, have you fallen asleep on me again?" He asked, a note of fondness in his voice. A sigh escaped him and he combed his fingers through golden-blonde hair with a shake of his head and a soft smile.

"Goodnight, koshka." He whispered, pressing another kiss to the top of Alfred's head and smiling serenely up at the shining stars.

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This was supposed to be a drabble, really. That was the intention. 100 words and done. But idk, it didn't feel like a drabble even from the start. I mean, it's definitely not as short as my usual work. I don't like writing one-shots under 3,000 words. But here we are.

I basically just went to a random word generator and got a word (Freeze, in this case) and ran with it. The opening sentence was inspired by the House of Heroes song "Baby's a Red", the line "Stars over Moscow shining bright."

Hope you enjoyed. If not…not really much I can do about that.


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